The movie begins with Falicia pregnant at 16 years old and living at home with her mom. The baby’s father has left and Falicia is left to take care of the baby with sporadic help from her Mom (who has her own problems with relationships and apparently did not spend quality time with Falicia as a child growing up). Her mother was frequently drunk and allowed different men into the home she shared with Falicia who witnessed many instances of abuse that her Mom tolerated from the men that she brought into her home.

Falicia is an attractive girl who loves her baby but also loves and wants beautiful things. The movie seems to move in slow motion towards Falicia’s eventual downfall. She is hired(lying about her age) and begins working at a strip club where she meets Dino “the man of her dreams”. Dino is aware that Falicia loves material things “jewelry, money etc.” She believes that Dino loves her because of the material things that she receives from him.

Dino (a drug dealer and pimp) is the typical abuser who gradually lures her into a life of drug dealing, prostitution and eventually murder while physically abusing her. Even when Falicia realizes that Dino is not the man that she thought he was, she is unable to stop her downward spiral. She continues to do everything he requested of her eventually losing all sense of self. When she is asked to commit a murder to prove to him that she loves him, Falicia was willing to do the ultimate act (the murder of another drug dealer who was a friend).

The movie accurately depicts how easily a young woman who has no strong role models and growing up in a dysfunctional home can look for love in all the wrong places and from the wrong people. Lance Gross’s role as a drug dealer and pimp was realistic and well acted. Although Tami Roman as Mom was not a character that you can love, you did feel compassion for her at the end of the movie.

Lil Mama played Falicia with just the right amount of gullibility and emotional temperature as a young woman who is drawn into mental manipulation. First time director Tasha Smith was able to capture some stirring performances from her actors. This is a movie that young pre teen girls and parents should watch and hopefully learn a few lessons on some pitfalls to avoid in relationships and how easily we forget to distinguish right from wrong.